Slam Dunk II: Oretachi wa Tsuyoi! We are strong!
by Seedsop
Summary: Sakuragi's back from the hospital, Rukawa's back from training... How will Shohoku basketball team fair in the winter games this time? I'm still not sure how this'll turn out but please read Chapter 6 and 7 Uploaded.
1. SAKURAGI: I WILL RETURN

**CHAPTER 1/? SAKURAGI: I WILL RETURN**

A small figure stepped out of the hospital. The sun was shining bright and not a cloud in the sky. She looked up and smiled. _Beautiful…_ _Hontou ni kirei. The day is really beautiful_. She thought as she slowly walked down a small flight of stairs. The brown haired girl just smiled again. She was happy. It had been a long time since she met with her best friend and it seemed that he was doing better. He was also happy to see her. Then again, it might have been the food she brought. She just chuckled to herself. It was so like him though. He had always made her laugh. When she was down or felt that something was wrong, he would be there for her to make her laugh. She felt that it was his way of comforting her. That's what she liked about him, always genki, full of energy. Even in the worst of situations, he'd seem full of life and ready to take on anything.

"I really missed him. I wonder when he'll be released. I'm sure the team will get stronger again when he gets back." She got very excited. The dream of the national championship was getting closer.

She hasn't seen the redhead since he was injured and hospitalized. She still remembers the day that he injured himself. At first it looked like he was hurt really bad and that he wouldn't be able to play for the rest of the game. Then he suddenly stood up and said "DAISUKI DESU!" _I still don't know what he meant by that. He insisted on playing even if the rest of the team felt that he should rest already. But I trusted him. And he even scored the winning basket. But after the game he had to be rushed to the hospital. It was more serious than we thought. The doctor said he might not be able to play again unless he goes through therapy._

It's been months since then. She was happier to know that he was getting better. The doctor said to her privately that he might even be able to play again soon. She knew how happy the redhead would be. And she was excited herself. He'd be able to play basketball again. She remembered the time he first met him. She asked him _'Basuketto wa suki desu ka, Do you like basketball?'_ He gave this strange answer about him being a sportsman. He didn't know anything about it back then. But he learned. And because of his stamina and willingness to learn he improved really fast. He eventually became invaluable to the team no matter how the others would deny it. And they will deny it to their graves. She just chuckled at it. _It's been a while_…

As she headed toward the street she looked back at the window and waved. A figure in the window just smiled and waved. He blushed. The tall redhead was overjoyed by her presence. All these months he missed her, her smile, her energy, everything about her. For months all he had were letters, letters he kept neatly in a box beside his bed. He wrote back to her every time, but never really could put to words how he really felt so most of the time he'd just babble about what's happening with him. And now she visited her. He could hardly contain his excitement. They talked and ate some breakfast. 

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"So how have you been?"

"I'm doing really fine. I'm trying to finish all my therapy sessions the best I can."

"That's good to hear. What does the doctor say?"

"She said that I'm doing extremely well. She said I'm progressing and improving very fast. Faster than anyone she's ever seen."

"That's great! You may soon play basketball again."

"Really? You think? I'll do my best, because of course I'm tensai! NYAHAHAHA!" She just chuckled with him. "So how's the team?"

"They're doing fine. Miyagi-sempai is holding his own. And he's getting a lot of help from Ayako-san. They've actually been together a lot these days."

:::whisper::: "Heehee! He's making his moves I see."

"What did you say?"

"No..not..nothing." He shaked his head furiously.

"Well, Mitsui-sempai is working really hard. He challenges Ryota-sempai to one-on-one games always. Though almost always they'd end up fighting.:

"Mitchy's trying to prove something! But he'll never beat this tensai."

"Maybe… As for Rukawa, well, we haven't heard from him since he left. We all believe that he won't come back anymore. After all he's chasing his dream. I've already accepted it." She pressed her hands against her chest. "But I'm still hopeful he'll come back someday."

_Actually, he's already here. Damn kitsune-otoko!_ "Ha..Haruko-san. We don't need him. With just me, we can bring the team to the national championship."

"I'm alright. You know… we really missed you…"

"Really? Except for the gundan I thought everyone had forgotten me."

"No, we always end up talking about you. They always ask me how you're doing. I tell them that you write to me and tell me everything so it's ok."

:::whisper::: "She kept them."

"Did you miss me too?"

She blushed. "Of course… Why would I forget one of my best friends?!"

"Oh… just a friend…"

"Oh no! It's already late. If don't leave now I might not make it in time for class. I have to go. Take care of yourself!"

"Don't leave yet. I really missed you. I haven't had much of anything until your visit.

"But I have to go. I still have class."

"PLEASE!!!"

"I really have to go. Don't worry I'll visit you some other day."

"Oh alright then. Good bye! Safe trip! Itterashaimase!"

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_If only she didn't have class._

All he could do now was watch as she left the hospital compound. He just watched her till she couldn't see her anymore. And again he was alone. He sighed. _I will be back. I promise. I won't let you down. Just wait and see._ "Aishiteru… I love you…"

"Who?"

"Ah, eh, NYAHAHAHAHA!!! Whad'ya mean?!"

"Come on, I heard you. It's that girl I see. I must say she's very beautiful. You have good taste."

"Yes, she's very beautiful. Um, um, I mean…" He blushed furiously.

"Well, it's not important right now. You still have to finish your therapy Sakuragi-kun."

"Hmph! Sensei, we always exercise, always therapy. When do I get out of the hospital? I want to play basketball! It's been months and I've been cooped up here like a baby." It was the hospital after all. The room was very drab and barely had any color. There was just his hospital bed and a table beside him to put some stuff and food when it was time to eat. No television set or radio for any entertainment. He had actually thought what if he had been richer, but of course that was just a dream. The only feature noticeable in the room was a big window where the sun would shine in the room in the morning. It had a great view though. But this only made him want to get out of the hospital more. It was killing him that he couldn't see his friends. Or be able to go to school even although he really didn't care for studying. Or even play basketball. He missed it so much. The feel of the ball in his hands. The thrilll he gets when he shoots. The excitement he feels on the court. And of course, the feeling of satisfaction when he dunks. It's the most exciting thing for him. But all he wants now is just to get out of the hospital. 

"Maa, maa, Sakuragi-kun, the faster you do your exercises, the faster you get to go and…"

"DEMO, BUT..BUT!"

"Sakuragi-kun no more complaints. You want to be able to play again, right? 

"Yes, but…"

"Again with the 'buts'. Just do it. Besides, this is your last one."

His eyes and ears perked up after hearing this. 

:::chibi mode::: "E! HONTOU NI, REALLY?! YOSHA!" 

He jumped for joy upon hearing the news. It's the best news he's ever heard since he was hospitalized. The thought of being able to play basketball again made him even more excited. 

"Didn't I tell you? Must have forgotten… Matte, wait, where are you going?" The red headed boy was already out the door.

"I thought you said we only have one more to go?" He was obviously excited.

"Take it easy, you might get a relapse." He stopped. The thought actually scared him. He didn't want that happen again. This was the worst injury a basketball player could ever receive. He wanted to play. He had realized a long time ago that he really loved the game. He had found the answer to Haruko's question. He loves basketball and he wasn't going to let himself get injured again. He promised himself that a long time ago.

He just looked back at the doctor, smiled and said. "I won't, I'm a tensai. I'm a genius. NYAHAHAHAHA!"

With her hands on her brow, "Doko, Where's the tensai??"

"SENSEI!! TENSAI BASUKETTO MAN SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!!!"

"Just kidding, just kidding. We don't want anything to happen to you before you get better. Better safe than sorry."

"Un!" _Wait and see minna, everybody, I'll be back. I'll beat you yet Rukawa! TEME KITSUNE!! _He sighed. _Kami-sama, God, I miss them all! Gori, Megane-kun, Mitchy, Ryochin, even that kitsune-otoko._ He'll never admit that to anyone though (A/N: No, this is not yaoi). As far as he and everyone concerned, their enemies destined to fight forever. He suddenly remembered when Rukawa suddenly showed up at the beach. 

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Sakuragi was sitting by the beach reading Haruko's letter. He was overjoyed as usual when reading any of Haruko's letter. While reading he stopped a bit and looked at the horizon. He suddenly saw a figure running down the beach. _I wonder who that is?_ He looked at the figure as it came closer. _Ah! Masaka! It can't be. It's… It's…_ A raven haired boy stopped in front of him. _Rukawa! _Rukawa suddenly opened his jacket and showed his shirt. It read…

"Ja..pan.." Sakuragi said. The raven haired boy just continued in his jog. Sakuragi flared up. "The only reason you're in the All Japan Team is because I got injured." He was really irritated. Rukawa glanced at him, then stopped and looked towards the sea. 

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It irritated him so much. _That Rukawa… I'll show him one of these days._ He was glad to see him nonetheless.

He thought of Haruko. She always wrote letters to him and even visited him today. _I've really missed you. I just hope you'll look at me the same way you look at Rukawa. _He just held those letters in his hand and thought about them. _ Gambarimasu! I'll do my best for her!_

"Sakuragi-kun, what are you doing? I thought you wanted to finish already. Better hurry."

"Yes, sensei. I'm already there." _I wonder what she's doing right now…_


	2. HARUKO: FOR THE TEAM!

**CHAPTER 2/? HARUKO: FOR THE TEAM!**

"I'm going to be late if I don't hurry." She started to speed off. She had just come from the hospital. She made a visit to the hospital to see Sakuragi. The visit took longer than she expected. She thought it would be a quick visit and see how he was doing. But the quick visit became more like a picnic. _I should've remembered that this was Sakuragi-kun. He'll try to keep me there. And he did. I really must hurry._

_He hasn't changed much though._ _Still the same old funn_y_ Sakuragi-kun. Always thinking of me and trying to cheer me up. That's what I like about him. _She paused. _What am I thinking?_ She blushed._ He seemed more serious though. Like he was thinking of something very important. But he should have nothing to worry about. The doctor said he would be able to play soon._ She was very excited about this news. She couldn't wait to rush to tell Ayako and the others. _They'll all be pleased with the news._ She looked at her watch. _I almost forgot some of the chores I need to do before class start. If only I didn't have class I would've liked to talk more about how things were doing with him._ _His longer red hair suits him though. KAWAII!! HOW CUTE!!_ She stopped for a brief second and held her right hand to her chest. _What is this I'm feeling? He's just my friend._ She refused to accept those kinds of feelings. _Don't I love Rukawa? _She was so confused at that moment. She shows so much affection towards Rukawa, even though it was a one way love, and there was Sakuragi that tried his best to make her happy all the time. She didn't know what to do with what she felt. But she knew one thing for certain about it, Rukawa will never love her back. She's grown to accept that. She shrugged those thoughts for awhile. She still was excited to have seen Sakuragi. After his injury she hasn't seen him for a long time and she was elated to see him. _I really wanted to have stayed longer._ For some reason she wanted to be with him longer. She just sighed. _If I have time, I'll visit her after school._

She checked her watch again and hurried towards the school. But she couldn't afford to be late today. Basketball practice starts again today. She's the new assistant manager of the team so she still has to go to the gym and help Ayako out clean up and check up on their equipments. _Good thing I remembered about that. Ayako-san can't do all of that in a span of a few minutes. _She wants to do a good job. _I'd like to prove myself. But at the rate I'm going I'm just going to embarrass myself_.

The team needs to prepare. The Shohoku team is a small unknown team but they were able to beat the No. 1 team in Japan. They want to prove to the rest that their unbelievable rise in inter high wasn't just fluke or a stroke of luck. The Winter Inter High is coming up. The team wants to prove they're strength. 

The team has to work hard this season. They had lost four of their best players. Three of which happened to be starters. Akagi and Kogure, the captain and vice captain of the team, had already quit the team so they could study for college entrance exams. Sakuragi was still in the hospital after a back injury he got a few months back in the game against Sannoh. And as for Rukawa, he was in the All Japan Team and no word has come back about his return. A lot of them thought he would never come back. Why would he? Basketball was his life and this would be a step nearer to becoming the best player.

As she started to jog towards school, she started to think of all the triumphs of the team. In the beginning, they were but a small team from Kanagawa and had no chance in hell in getting into the finals or even the inter high competions. But they wowed everyone when they won game after game after game. Then the unexpected happened. They beat the no. 2 seed team in the district, Shoyo High. _That was an unbelievable experience. People also started to notice this certain redhead on the court._ Again she could feel her heart beat a bit faster.

But then they had a game with the no. 1 seed, Kainan. The stadium was full on that day. People wanted to see if Kainan could win again in their 17th consecutive win or would they finally lose to a team that has taken Kanagawa by storm. But even with their best game they still lost. The game was pretty hard for them. Each one blamed themselves for being weak, _especially Sakuragi_._ What was he thinking when he suddenly cut his hair? Well, it was kind of cute. _But they rose above it and won the next game.

Time finally came for Ryonan and Shohoku to play against each other. Both were in battle for the last ticket to get into the inter high. The game was very fierce but in the end Shohoku won. _I was so happy for everyone. My brother was finally closer into getting the championship_. Though they did not win the championship, they won against the no. 1 team in Japan, Sannoh High.

From a team of just Akagi, it grew into one great team. Miyagi, one of the best point guards came back to the team. Mitsui, the ace 3-point shooter of jr. high, also came back. 

And of course, who could forget Sakuragi and his rise and improvement in the sport. Haruko was the one that recommended him to the team and believed in his ability. She believed that he would be a key player to the team's success. And she was right. In just a matter of four months he had learned so much and a player that shouldn't be ignored. She couldn't imagine how better he could have been if it wasn't for his injury. _I've been thinking of him a lot lately. I really don't understand this feeling. He's just my friend… I'm so confused._

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"Haruko, can we ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"We were wondering, why is it that you seem to ignore Sakuragi everytime he's trying to impress you."

"Impress me? Why would he do that? It's just that..that…"

"You're fawning over Rukawa, right?"

"N..NO!"

"Then why are you blushing while talking about him? You know, while you go googly-eyed over that ice prince, you're missing someone who constantly showers you with affection."

"Who are you talking about?

:::sweatdrop::: _Naïve as ever._ "Who else?? Sakuragi of course."

"What? He's just my friend, nothing else."

"Open you eyes Haruko. It's not friendship he's after."

"It can't be. If and only IF it was true, he'd tell me."

"But he has. Over a dozen times already and you have yet to notice. Actually I'm starting to sympathize with the guy at the way you treat him."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Believe me Haruko."

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_"Believe me," huh? I don't know… _She left that thought trail away. At that point she was too confused and didn't really feel like thinking more about it. She thought of the team again.

Then she remembered Rukawa. She could feel a blush coming up her face. _Stop that, control yourself._ She paused a bit and thought of him. _He'll never think of me that way. All he thinks is about basketball. That's his life. Nothing else._ From the first time she had ever seen him, he was so much into basketball. And even when they were already in Shohoku High all she could see in him was a passion, a drive to play basketball. He forgot everyone and everything when he played. At that point she knew he didn't have a place in his heart for her. He couldn't replace his number one love, basketball.

"HARUKO, hayaku, hayaku! Hurry, hurry!!" She was startled. Two figures ahead were waving for her to come. It was Matsui and Fuji. "What are you doing Haruko? You still have work before classes start, or have you forgotten?"

"Of course, I haven't forgotten. What are you doing here this early?"

"Look at the time!"

"Oh my god! It's this late already. Baka!! I'm not thinking straight today."

"Well instead of insulting yourself, run."

"Hai!" She started to speed off again. _I wonder how Rukawa-kun is doing._ She still loved the raven haired boy. _I guess it's not that easy to forget someone you've truly loved and admired._ She tried forgetting about him for a moment to think of her tasks at hand._ I'm almost there, should only be a few minutes late at the gym if I run._ And like lightning, she was gone in a flash.

She was passing by the outdoor basketball courts. This place held a lot of memories for her. It was where she first learnt basketball from her brother. _He was very mean to me at that time, but he meant well._ This place was also where she and Sakuragi would meet to practice some basketball moves. They'd often meet there when Sakuragi would need help in trying to learn new things. She'd sometimes see him practicing alone there. But most of the time, she'd see Rukawa playing there. She'd sometimes wake up earlier than necessary just to be able to steal a glance when he played. She admired his passion and drive for the game, but at the same time wondered how he is able go through life like that.

SWISH!!

She knew that sound. It was a basketball that smoothly glided into the hoop. She hurriedly followed the sound to the nearby open court where she saw someone playing basketball by himself. She saw a raven haired boy running towards the ring. He was moving left and right, as if eluding imaginary opponents, and moving so swiftly and gracefully. She was mesmerized. Then the boy jumped just a few feet passed the three-point line. _Impossible! He can't actually reach the ring that far._ The sun hit her eyes as she raised her gaze upon the boy. All she could see after that was the boy smashing the ball through the hoop, with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the court. _SU..SUGOI! AMAZING!_ She felt her heart stop. _ That was beautiful._ He landed safely and headed towards the bench. He wiped off his sweat off his face. _Dare? Who is he? Who is this guy?_ He looked up and faced her direction. _Masaka. It can't be._

"Ru..ka..wa..kun"


	3. RUKAWA: PROOF OF EXISTENCE

**CHAPTER 3/? RUKAWA: PROOF OF EXISTENCE**

It was early in the morning, about 6:00.  The sun had started to shine in the room.  It was a rather large room with a big bed in the middle of the room.  The bed was already empty.  The sheets and the pillows were just scattered around.  Also on the bed was a gym bag with a bunch of shirts, jogging pants and shorts.  The room was filled with a lot of NBA basketball posters, some of them were Michael Jordan.  There was also a shelf beside the bed.  In it were a lot of medals, awards, and trophies for basketball competitions.  There were also other memorabilia in the shelves, in particular, was a picture of basketball team.  And on top looked was a red jersey bearing the name SHOHOKU and the number 11.

A tall figure steps in to the room from the showers.  The figure walked slowly into the room, with a towel on his head and still dripping with water.  He stopped and headed towards the shelf by the bed.   He reached out for the picture on the wall and stared at it.  _I miss them.  The figure dropped the towel from his head and exposed a raven haired boy.  He looked intently on the picture._  I miss all of them, even that read-headed do'aho._  He smirked.  __But I'll die first before I admit that to anyone.  _

The light peeked through the blinds and shined partially on his face. If you looked closely a very small smile started to appear. (A/N: Mr. Stoic smiled!! Haha)Thoughts started to fill his mind.  His minds was filled with the times when he'd perform so well in court without anybody, times when he'd argue with Sakuragi about the stupidest of things, and when they finally learned to work as a team and win the biggest game they've ever played.  He was beginning to understand what he lacked as a player, teamwork.  

For the longest time, he had always been alone.  Never caring about anyone but himself.  Working so much so that he can prove to everyone he isn't weak.  That he is strong.  And does not need anyone.  He thought maybe if he was more independent and strong he could show to everyone else his worth.  That he could show his father he wasn't a weakling.  And maybe his father might eventually show that he loves him.

_That bastard.__  Why do I even care about what he feels for me?  He only thinks of himself.  He thought to himself.  __I don't need anyone to achieve my goals, especially from that bastard.  Though he knows in his heart that he needs the help of people, especially his teammates.  _

Working with others, and trusting them and their abilities was something new to him.  But he understands now that there lies the true strength of a player.  If he could learn to work with others and trust in them then he'll finally be able to fulfill his dream of being the strongest player in Japan, or even in the United States.  _My final goal is to play in __America__ and nothing will stop me to achieve that goal.  I'm definitely coming back and showing them all how I've improved.  I want to win the national championships.  Not just for me but for all of us.  We built this dream together and we may finally reach it.  (A/N:  A lot of thoughts on his mind, ne?)_

He put the picture down and finished drying up.  He checked the time and saw that he was late.  _I've been sleeping too much that I can't even wake early enough for my practice._  He hurriedly dressed up in his workout shirt and jogging pants.  He fixed his other things and put them in his bag.  He took a red and black jacket from the closet.   It was his favorite Shohoku team jacket.  He looked around the room and picked up his basketball.  He also picked up the discman on the desk by the door and quickly ran out of the room.__

He quickly ran across the large ornate hallway, then down the stairs.  He hurriedly opened the garage door at the back of the house.  There were several cars in the garage.  One had the license plate bearing the name RUKAWA.  He then took an old looking bike from side of garage and mounted it.  He just left on the bike leaving the garage door open.

"Wait! Don't leave the garage door open."  An old lady yelled.  "That kid, when will he ever remember never to storm off just like that.  His father will just get angry at him again."  

He was on his way to a nearby basketball court, riding his bike down the street.

This was a daily ritual for him.  He'd get up early in the morning and practice at the local basketball court.  He missed this the most when he left Kanagawa.

But as usual, he fell asleep on his bike.  "HEY!!  Watch where you're going!  Don't sleep on your bike idiot!"  Two girls suddenly screamed at him.  

***A/N:

seedsop: This is so like him isn't it?

Rukawa: Nani??

seedsop: Well… it's true… Ack… NO!!

***

"Wait, wasn't that Rukawa?"  

"It looked like him.  But it couldn't be.  Isn't he in the All Japan Team training?"  

"Oh yeah!  I forgot besides if he was here, Haruko would have told us by now."

"True.  I can almost imagine it now that she's swooning and going heart-shaped eyes on him again."

The other girl chuckled.  "That seems so much like her.  She'll never admit it though.  She'll just deny it and blush."

"Oh goodness! Look at the time.  We better hurry."  The two girls sped off leaving way behind Rukawa.

Rukawa was still sleeping.  He didn't even notice the two girls.  Then all of a sudden, "BANG!"  He hit his bike on the fence.  "Ow! Good thing it's not a car this time."  He got of the bike and checked its condition.  "It seems I need to replace the tire again."  _One of these days I'm going to get seriously injured if I'm not careful._

He continued on his way towards an open court.  He parked his bike and quickly got into gear and started warming up.  He had the whole court to himself so he wasn't really in a hurry.  He still remembered the time when he was waiting outside the court until the redheaded do'aho and the Captain's younger sister would finish practicing.  He was certainly surprised at how fast he learned to do a lay up in such a short time.  Of course, at that time he didn't think much of it.  All he wanted to do was play.  He wanted them to leave as fast as they could.  He just sighed and continued on his activity.

He started with his daily ritual.  He would first do different shots over and over again.  When he got his rhythm, he would start to imagine opponents.  He would start to imagine strong basketball players going one on one against him.  He'd imagine players like Maki and Fujima trying to block him from scoring.  He'd think of all the possible ways they could stop him but he'd always surpass him in his mind.  And of course, he'd imagine Sendoh going up against him.  To him he still has to beat Sendoh.  Sendoh was the obstacle to his goals, and for him to reach his goals he must surpass Sendoh in every way.

_"You are not yet stronger than Sendoh."  Anzai-sensei had told him and since then he has set his goal in beating him.  To become number one and be able to play in America will soon follow._

He also thinks that Sakuragi must never EVER beat him at all.  It's what keeps him going.  He remembers what Anzai-sense's wife told him before, that the sensei thought highly of him and Sakuragi.  Though personally he doesn't know what Anzai-sensei sees in him.

With the imaginary Sendoh trying to block him, he tries to evade him but 'Sendoh' was easily blocking his moves.  Every way he went Sendoh was there to block him.  Left, right, left, and right again Sendoh was there to block him.  _KUSO!! _But suddenly he got a chance and went for it.  He dodges to the left and runs up to the 3-point line.  He ran as fast as he could dribbling the ball so that Sendoh couldn't reach him.  He suddenly jumped as soon as he passed the 3-point line and successfully dunks the ball into the ring.

_CRASH!!!  A resounding sound was heard all over.  But little did he know that a certain brown haired girl was watching from opposite the fence._

"A little more…" He thought.  He heads for his towel and wipes off his sweat.  _Maybe if I…_

"Ru..ka..wa..kun.."

Rukawa looked up to see who said that.  He saw a brown haired girl in the distance and wondered who it was.  As he slowly approached her, he caught a glimpse of her face.  _Akagi__-san.  It was Haruko.  When she noticed him approach him she quickly took off before he could utter a word.  __What was that about?  I hope she doesn't tell anyone yet.  I want to go and show myself to them first.  _Maybe I should go.__

He suddenly felt his body weaken all of a sudden.  _No not today.__  Not now!  He slowly fell to the ground…_

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"Why don't you just give up?"

"Otou-san!"  Said the young kid.  "I can do this!" He could see clearly his father's disappointment.  _Why can't he ever trust me to do anything?****_

But before the kid could do anything, he collapsed to the ground.  His body was shaking.

"Chh! I knew it.  You are such a weakling.  Why was I cursed with such a child."  He came closer to the kid and nudged him. "This won't kill you.  Now get up.  It's late and almost time for dinner."

The kid remained on the ground.  "Chh!  I guess I have to drag you home."  He picked him up and put him on his shoulder.  "Only if your mother was alive…"  The kid was half conscious and couldn't speak. 

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_KUSO!!  He started to breathe heavily.  Somehow it felt a bit better being able to breathe easily.  _I can do this._  _Better pack up and leave before anyone sees me like this.__

A/N:  I had a hard time of keeping Rukawa in character while writing this chapter.  Since he almost never speaks so we could only guess what's in his mind.  This opens up a writer's gold mine actually but at the same time I didn't want him to become OOC.  Of all things I hate OOCs unless there was character development to support it.  So if he did come out differently I'm saying sorry right now.  Don't crucify me ^^;;;


	4. THE TEAM: IT HAS BEGUN

**CHAPTER 4/?  THE TEAM:  IT HAS BEGUN!**

_This year we are definitely going to win no matter what.  He thought.  The short curly-haired guy had just woke up and was getting ready his things for school.  "I cannot be late for school.  Today's the first day of basketball practices and I have to do my best."  He was after all the captain of Shohoku basketball team._

"RYOTA!  Breakfast is ready.  Better hurry so you can leave for school!"

"Yes Dad!  I'm coming."

Miyagi approached a picture on the desk across the room.  He grabbed it and kissed it gently.  _Aya-chan!  _He could only see hearts after that.  _Heehee!  I'll do my best, gamabrimasu!_  And for a couple of seconds he blanked out thinking of his one and only love.

"RYOTA!"  He suddenly snapped from his daze.

"Sorry, I'll be down in a sec!"  He hurriedly dropped the picture and continued to stuff his things into his school and gym bag.  As he finished packing up his stuff he took one last look at the picture and hurriedly ran out the room, slamming the door behind him.

He ran down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.  He went and kissed his father and sat down on the table.

"Ryota, how many times do I have to tell you not to slam the door behind you?!"

"Gomen!  I'm so excited!"

"That's still no reason not to behave."  He laid down some sunny-side eggs and honey-cured bacon on the table.  "Now hurry and eat up before it gets cold."

"Thanks!"  He started to munch down on the eggs like there was no tomorrow.  "Hmm… these are good!  Dad you're the best."

"Of course… I'm your dad.  And the best cook in town."

"You flatter yourself too much."  He finished his food and started to pick up his bags.  "Dad I'm off!"

"Wooow there cowboy, what's the rush??"

"I'm just excited.  I'm the basketball team captain after all.  I can't be late"

"Well you still have a lot of time before your school starts."

"I have to be early today.  I'm meeting up with the manager of the team before school starts and I agreed to meet Mitsui around the corner on our way to school."

"That kid is weird."  

"He is."  He made an evil grin.  "But he's nice so don't worry too much." He looked at the time.  "I really have to go!"  He started to speed of out of the kitchen.

"RYOTA, don't forget your bento!"  He shouted.  He had an exasperated look on his face.  

Miyagi stopped, went back and picked up the lunch box.  He kissed his dad.  "Thanks mom!"

"And oh, I almost forgot.  I have a surprise for you when you get back from school.  So hopefully you can get home early."

"I have basketball practice but I will try dad.  Bye!"  He put on his shoes was out the door in just a few seconds.  He slammed the door again on his way out.

"DON'T SLAM THE DOOR!"  He shouted again.  "Sometimes I think that kid will be the death of me."  He glanced at the calendar on the refrigerator and scanned for date that day.  It just said pick up at the airport.  "He will surely be surprised when he sees her.  We all need her." He also looked at the time.  "Oops, If I don't hurry I'll be late for office."

*****

"Oh no, I'm late!"  The scar-faced boy just woke up and was in a hurry to get ready.  He didn't manage to take a bath anymore so he just made a quick shower to wake him up and got ready.  After all that rush dressing, he went to the mirror and clenched his teeth.  "It still looks good.  I should get them permanently fixed."  He picked up his bag and ran off out the room.  He made his way through the narrow corridor towards the living room.  As he was about to put on his shoes somebody held his wrist.  He looked at the imposing figure that held his arm.  

"Dad I'm late for school!"  His dad continued to hold on to him.  He tried to loosen his arm but his father was strong.  The dad had a rather large build and could probably pin down any ordinary man.  But he was a spitting image of the boy.  

There was a brief pause.

"Hisashi, you better go to school and study.  This is your last year and I would at least see you graduate high school."  After the fiasco of his last 2 years, his father had become more and more strict with him.  His father thought that by being more strict he could get his son to straighten up.  But that just made the boy rebel even more.  It had been a really difficult time for the both of them and so their relationship had really strained. 

"You have told me that already.  I'm going to meet Miyagi around the corner so we can head to school already."

"You have better go to school."

"Don't you trust me?"  His dad just looked at him with disbelief.  He really didn't trust his son.  "What??"  He just looked at his father's blank stare.  "Fine it wasn't the right choice of words but I promise."

"You promise, and why should I…"  His dad was suddenly cut short.

"Now, now, remember your temper.  Besides your son has gotten better then he was a few months back.  Give him some credit."  His mother decided to cut through the argument.  Hisashi's mom had always been the calm one and would be the one to always step in and mediate between the father and son.  But they were both stubborn and she could only do so much to control them.  She knew that being level-headed would be best in dealing with their son but the dad would almost always loose his temper on him.  It hurt her much to see what had been happening to her family and for a time she could only watch as the events unfolded.

"Yeah dad!  Give me some…"

"Don't you start either."  His mother said in stern voice.  She didn't want this to escalate any further.  "Better leave now before your father starts to scold you again.  You're rather late also."  She was rather happier now.  His son started to change for the better since his gangster days.  He would see his son's commitment in the basketball club and saw that it would be good for him to stay there.

"Ok mom."  He kissed mom.  "Thanks."  He waved goodbye to his parents as he reached to open the door.

"Go home early!"  His dad shouted.

"I have basketball practice dad.  Bye!"  Before his dad could say anything else, Hisashi was already out the door.

"Why are you so lenient with him?"  Hisashi's dad asked.  He stared at his wife waiting for an answer.

"Because I know that the more you are strict with him, the more he will rebel especially against you."  She said with a stern yet understanding voice.  But he still wasn't convinced with his wife's mother.

"And what do you propose we do?  We can't just leave him alone!  Who knows what he will do next?"

"Have a little faith dear.  Though I don't always confront him, I still watch him.  I regularly check his school if he's doing fine."  She sat down in the living room and took a sip of the coffee on the table.  "All we have to do is support him.  He's become very devoted with basketball, too.  I think it will be good for him."

"Fine…" that's all what Hisashi's father could say.  His mom just took another sip of the coffee.

*****

It was probably about 6:30 am.  The sun was already shining brightly.  Shohoku High School was still somewhat barren from people.  It was still rather silent except for the clanging of a lock at the school gym.  Somebody was unlocking the gym and opening the doors.  A curly haired girl entered the gym and proceeded towards the equipment room.

"Aiyah! I have to check all the equipment for later."  It was the team manager, Ayako.  "There are so many things to check and inventory."  She was about to start checking when she thought something was wrong.  She looked around.  Then she looked at the watch.  All of a sudden she conjured up her paper fan from nowhere.  "Now I know, where the heck is that girl?  She promised me she would meet me here early this morning."  She was talking about Haruko.  She sighed and said, "Well I can't wait for her.  I have to finish this before classes start."  

So she continued checking all the equipments.  But she really couldn't keep her mind on her work.  She was excited herself.  It was the first day of practices and she eagerly awaited it.  She knew this year was going to be different.  Ever since the Shohoku won against the Sannoh High, they have become the talk of the town.  And the pressure of it all started to build.  

Ayako couldn't help but sigh.  It was like the whole district and even the whole country was keeping watch over them.  _Even that annoying Aida Yayoi, has started to frequent the school just so she could get interviews.  So much like her brother._  She stopped thinking and went back to her work.  There were tons of equipments she had to weed out before she could finish.

_But this winter is going to be tough.  They had lost a lot of good players and will have to depend mainly on Miyagi and Mitsui.  They are good players but they didn't have good reserves for the other positions.  Not to mention the two players will almost always end up arguing about something during practice.  She scratched her head.  _Sometimes I don't know what to do with them.__

She was about to check the lockers when somebody opened the door.  

"Ayako-san!"  It was Haruko.  "I…I…"  she was puffing like crazy.

"Calm down!  Rest!"  She instructed her to sit down by the bench.  "Now, tell me.  What happened to you?"  She was kind of worried but at the same time curious.  "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh! Don't worry… I just thought I saw someone I knew."  She puffed again.  "Anyway, I just ran all the way here from the hospital.  Sorry I was late."  She began to calm down a bit.

Ayako looked at her with curiousity but really didin't pry.  _She's hiding something I think.  "What were you doing at the hospital?"  She asked._

"I went to meet Sakuragi."

"Really?"  Ayako perked up a bit.  "How is he?  Is he doing fine?  How does he look?"

Haruko was surprised at the excited reaction of Ayako.  "Well I brought him some breakfast today.  And he looks fine.  He said he couldn't wait till he could get back and play again."

"I wish he could get back."  Ayako said in anticipation.  "I'd hate to admit it but he has become an integral part of our team.  And his abilities have really become one of the best in Kanagawa."

"The doctor told me, he's in his final stages of therapy and may be able to play again soon."  She was flustered a bit.  She then brought her hand to her heart.  "He will be able to play again."  She blushed but then waved her head and smiled.  "I can't wait!"

"That's good news!"  She was excited but was focused at her reaction.  "This team may actually have better chances than I expected."  _Could it be that she has fallen for him?  I must investigate this._

"Anyway, I'm here now.  Where shall I start?"  _It couldn't be Rukawa._  She was confused.  She didn't know what to think.  

And all this while Ayako continued to observe her reactions.  _Something definitely happened to her.  And probably on the way here._  She was getting worried but could not do anything at the moment but observe.  She thought it would be best to leave her alone for the time being.  _I'll find out soon enough._

A.N.:  It seems that I have started to loosen up on description.  But seriously how long will this chapter be if I put in more.  I will probably have to work more on my next chapter to make it less like a script than a fanfiction.


	5. FIRST DAY AT SHOHOKU

**CHAPTER 5/?  FIRST DAY AT SHOHOKU**

The sun was shining brightly early in the morning.  It is so much in contrast to the skin of the curly haired boy.  "Where the heck is that guy?"  He looked at his watch.  "Another five minutes…"  He said to himself.  He just brushed his curly locks as if to fix it, not that it mattered as it always stuck the same way.  He just waited as he already started to sweat in the heat of the sun.

He checked his watch again.  "I'm going, no point in being late for school today for him."  He picked up his stuff and was about to leave when he heard a faint voice from the distance.  He looked back to see what it was.  As the figure came closer, he instantly recognized who it was.  He just had a blank stare on him.

"Wait up!"  It was Mitsui.  He was running towards Miyagi as fast as he could.  When he reached him he just started to pant.  "Let me just catch my breath."  He almost fell to his knees.

"What happened to you?"  A vein was starting to pop.  "I've been waiting for the last 10 minutes for you!"  He said angrily. He was raising his hands in his irritation.

"I'm sorry! My dad started to sermon me again."  He paused to catch his breath.  "He thinks I'm not going to school.  He doesn't trust me."  He said in disappointment.

"Well you really didn't give your parents much for them to trust you."  Miyagi smirked a bit.

"Thanks a lot!!" He said sarcastically.  Until now, this was a very touch subject.

"Oh come on."  Miyagi noticed his pain by what he said.  He sometimes thinks he's a bit too insensitive.  _If I were to become a good captain I really should notice stuff like this more.  _He was obviously starting to feel guilty by what he said.  He knew he meant nothing about what he said but it struck a nerve in Mitsui.  "I didn't mean anything about it.  I was just kidding."  Mitsui just looked at him but he said nothing.  "You are doing your best to change and to make your parents see your improvements.  Sulking will not help you."  He paused.  He didn't really know what to say.  _Kogure__-sempai does this stuff better._  "Fine.  I was about to tell you of the new plays I have thought of but you don't seem to be interested…"  He trailed to see what Mitsui's reaction would be.

"Well?!"  Mistui suddenly said.

:::chibi:::

_Yatta__! It worked. I got his attention._  "You sound angry.  I don't think you really want to hear it."  Miyagi started to grin evilly.

"Hey no fair!  Tell me!"  Mitsui quickly forgot his anger and pain for that moment.  Although he was starting to get irritated.

"IYA DA!!  NO!!  I'll tell you later."  He was playing with Mitsui already.

"You're no fun, CAP-TAIN!"  Mitsui said sarcastically.

"Che… Fine!"  His face became crooked.  "I'll tell you on the way to school.  We're going to be late you know."  They picked up their stuff and started to walk to school.  

Mtsui quickly forgot about the incident.  This made Miyagi feel a little at ease, though he really felt sorry for the guy.  Mitsui had many faults in his past but he has paid for all of them, he thought.  _He needs a fresh start.  But his past just seems to haunt him even more._  This troubled Miyagi.  Despite their many problems in the past, Miyagi has come to accept Mitsui as his friend.  _There must be something I can do._

*****

_Why do I always have to be so weak?!_  The raven-haired boy thought to himself annoyed.  For 5 minutes he struggled to get up from his state.  It was like he was so impaired he could not even move his body correctly.  He sat for another minute before he got up and changed.  He made sure no one saw him while he left the courts to get ready.  

He slowly walked out the courts.  He was wearing this old dark navy blue jacket and matching pants.  He wore a white undershirt beneath the jacket that was buttoned all the way up except for the top button.  He quickly fastened the last button in place and checked his clothes.  It was his old Shohoku high school uniform.  He even checked his black leather shoes he recently bought.  _Good._  He thought to himself.  He took his broken bike and slowly walked to school.

He paused for a bit to look at the time.  _There's still time.  I don't have to hurry that much._  It wasn't for another thirty minutes before school started and the school is just a few blocks away from the courts.  He looked around again the area before he left, to see if anyone was there.  He checked if Haruko was still around.  _I hope Akagi-san didn't see what happened._  He was rather worried.  The last thing he wanted was somebody to see him like that.  

"BAKA!!!"He said to himself.  He felt stupid and annoyed.  _Who cares about what others think?_  He thought angrily.  _All I know I will be the best player.  Then he will recognize me._  He was in full of anger and resentment.  He thought if he could prove to his father he was good in one thing, maybe just maybe his dad will give him even just the time of day to let him know that his dad loved him. 

*****

"Ayako-san, is this all?" asked Haruko.

"Yes, just set them there for a while." answered Ayako.  She and Haruko have been checking the inventory of equipments for their practice later on that day.  They had much to do and they didn't want anything to be missing later.  They both felt it was their responsibility that practice goes without a hitch.  They even checked the security of the gym just in case of gangs breaking in or wild fangirls disturbing the practice.

"Are you sure ALL of these are necessary?" Haruko asked with disbelief.  There was just so much security check and equipment just to keep practice going smoothly.

"Well we never know now do we?"  Ayako answered sternly.  "The last time we had a gang break up practice."

"That was Mitsui-sempai.  I'm sure he'll never do it again."

"Then how about times we get ambushed by those…"  Ayako looks around.  She brought her fan out just to make sure.  "those stupid Rukawa fan girls."

"Rukawa is not here!!"  Haruko suddenly shouted.  Ayako was surprised a bit.  "I mean I don't think we have to worry about them."  She paused.  It seemed to have affected her a lot.  She couldn't speak for a couple of seconds and was stuttering.  _Could it really be him?_  She fidgeted around and looked away.  "Who are those girls going to watch anyway?"

_I guess she still misses him a lot.  _"We can never be too certain.  The Shohoku team has a bad reputation of bad luck attracting its way."  Though she was already convinced what Haruko was troubled about, she couldn't help but wonder about her reactions today.  She thought it was really out of the ordinary.__

"Ayako-san if there isn't anything else that you need, maybe I could leave to go to my classroom?"  She was rather in a hurry as she was starting to feel uncomfortable with Ayako's staring at her.

"Oh sure, there's nothing for you to do now.  You can head on to class."  Haruko quickly excused herself and left Ayako in the storage room.  "Kids nowadays…"  She left the thought trail.  She did finally checks and padlocked the storage room.  She took the key and placed it in her bag.  She took her bag and started to exit the gym.

*****

Rukawa was walking his broken bike to school.  _I should really be more careful.  _A few feet away from the school, he could see the students gathering and entering the school grounds.  He missed this.  Not that he enjoyed studying or anything.  And everyone knows he did nothing all day in school except sleep or play basketball.  He just enjoyed the feel of going to school seeing all these people and the thrill of being able to play basketball with his team again.

So he continued on walking into school.  At this point no one really noticed him.  He had grown his hair longer.  His hair was long enough to cover the back of his neck and his ears.  He even had bangs that covered partially his face.  It wasn't until someone pointed out to him, "Hey guys, look it's a new student."  People started talking about the "new kid" in school.  The guys were curious of who the guy was as he looked kind of cool.  The girls started to giggle.  They found the new guy so cute that they couldn't take their eyes of him.

_Some things never change._  He thought quietly.  Maybe, he thought, if he didn't say anything people would stop staring at him.  He was kind of hoping no one would recognize him.  _Geh__!  I'll head straight to my class assignment._  He chained his bike and got ready to head to his class.  People continued to stare at him even at the corridors.  _People are such a bother._  This semester he had been assigned to class 1-6.  He knew where it was as it was beside his old class.  He opened the door to the class to get in.  But as soon as he opened it, the whole class stopped became quiet and started to stare at him.  He quickly took his seat and fixed himself up.  _Some people have no shame either._  He was irritated at the fact that people was still staring at him.

Suddenly the door opened again.  In came this this tall guy with gelled up combed back hair.  "Oi!  Yohei, you're in this class too."  One of the guys in the class called his attention.

"Yeah, I suppose we're classmates now."  He replied.

"Where's the gundan?"  The boy asked.  He seemed surprised that he wasn't with the other 3 of his group and they were not there to bother him or anything.  He tried to look around for them but they were not to be found.

 "They got assigned to a different class.  It figures, the school administration does not want any of us to be in the same class.  They think we are too much of a trouble." He said frankly.

"Can you really blame them?"  Another boy asked.

"I guess not." He rubbed the backside of his head.  "But that doesn't really solve the problem they have with us."

"True…" they all said unison.  "By the way…" one boy said, "How is Sakuragi?"  Rukawa perked up a bit and listened.

"He's doing fine.  The doctors say he will be released anytime soon."  Yohei said frankly.  But at that moment he noticed the other boy listening.  "Hmm… who's that guy?" pointing to the raven-haired boy.

"New kid, don't really know him…" He said bluntly.  "He's not really talking much."  The boy paused.  "But he looks so vaguely familiar."

*****

"Ohayou!"  Shouted Mitsui.  The scar-faced boy entered his class 3-2.

"Ohayou Mitsui-san!"  One student said.  "Ohayou Mitchan."  Another one said.

"Yo!"  The scar-faced boy answered.  He started to look around the class and check around who was in his class.  He looked for a free chair at the back as he did not really want to listen too much to his teacher.  He arranged his stuff and took his place.

Another boy entered the class with his school bag.  "Oh, Mitsui, ohayou…"  A lean boy with glasses saw Mitsui in the corner sitting by himself.

"Kogure?!"  Mitsui was genuinely surprised.  "You're in this class too?"  He sounded rather happy seeing a friend in the same class.  He kind of wanted to be in the same class with someone he knew personally.  

"You're rather happy…" Kogure asked as he took the chair beside Mitsui.  

"Well I WAS hoping that I would have someone I knew in the same class."  You can almost paint the excitement in his face.  He stood up and moved away from the chair.  He then casually sat down on Kogure's table and faced him with his hands in his pocket.  "You know me, I hate being alone."  He said as he raised shoulders a bit.  He had a small smirk on his face.  Kogure stared at him with disbelief.

"Well, you better get to your seat."  Kogure said.  "The school bell is about to ring and you wouldn't want to anger our sensei."  He said with concern.

All Mistui could do was raise his eyebrows.  He stood up and went for his seat.  "You're no fun Kogure."  He said as he sat down on his chair.  "Who cares about that."

Kogure just stared.  _Unbelievable… after all this time he still hasn't changed his happy-go-lucky lifestyle._  Then Kogure thought of something.  "Then you must not be interested in basketball anymore."  He looked at Mitsui and almost laughed at the expression on Mitsui's face.  Mitsui face was in so much dread.  He could hear the words "not interested in basketball" ring in his mind over and over again.  And it took a couple of seconds before he could even speak.

"NA..NI?!"  Mistui exclaimed.  "Na-now hold on a mi-minute… You know that basketball IS my life?!  How can you say that?"  He was a bit flustered.  

Kogure at this point couldn't handle it anymore and started chuckling.  "That caught your attention."  He paused and laughed a little more.  "I was just kidding.  But if you don't study you can't play remember?!"  Mitsui was already flaming.  "So calm down!"

"Fine I will do as you say.  I always do anyway."  Mitsui said in surrender.

Kogure just stared blankly at him and raised one of his eyebrows.  "You always do?"  He smirked a bit.

"Fine.  I do as you say after a lot of convincing."  He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

The bell rang and a teacher came into the class.  "There's the teacher.  So act a little more polite."  Kogure suggested to Mitsui.

"Yes Kogure-SAMA"  Mitsui replied sarcastically. 

*****

When Rukawa started to notice they were already talking about him he started to look away.  He still didn't want anyone to realize it was him.  He suddenly remembered his cheering squad.  _Baka__!_  _Those stupid women will cheer for anyone they found handsome.  If they found that do'ahou even remotely handsome they might cheer for him too._  He started to daze off.  He wanted to stop thinking about things so he slowly felt drowsy.  But before he went off to dreamland the teacher entered just in time for class.

"Minna!  Ohayou gozaimasu!  Good morning!"

The class stood up.  "Ohayou gozaimasu sensei!  Good morning teacher!"

"Ok, everyone get settled into your seats.  I am your adviser for this semester, Kimura-sensei." He said sternly.  Kimura-sensei is a tall young man.  He is towering man but lean-looking.  "I think all of you know me already.  No one new really but we have someone who just came back."  The students were a bit curious.  "Rukawa, I hope you can keep up in class this semester."  Rukawa could only nod at him.

"Rukawa?!"  One of the girl students exclaimed in disbelief.  Everyone was looking at the raven-haired boy by now.  He was trying to hide his face but he couldn't keep it away from them anymore.

"Boy!  Many people will be shocked later."  Yohei said smirkingly.  "What a very interesting turn of events."  He was saying so frankly but in reality he was kinda shocked at what happened.  He suddenly remembered what was he supposed to say to Sakuragi.  "This is probably going to spell trouble when Hanamichi finds out."  An image of them fighting each other pooped into his mind.  "Oh boy…"

A/N:  I know this chapter is a doozy.  And I'm dragging the timeline too slow I imagine.  Then again the first few episodes of Slam Dunk happened in one day.  But promise I'll speed up the story a little bit so we can move along.  Please review and be brutally honest with the story so I know and I can improve my writing.  ^_^


	6. INTERESTING

**CHAPTER 6: INTERESTING…**

The news about Rukawa spread like wildfire throughout the campus. By lunch everyone knew he was the one they thought was a new kid. In class 1-3, it was all what the girls were talking and giggling about. Haruko was assigned to this class and was situated by the window. She was looking out into the horizon. She was in deep thought about the events that morning. She was confused of what she feeling. There was Sakuragi, who has been her friend for the longest time. Could she really start to like him that way? Then there was Rukawa, has he really come back. She felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't know if she still felt the same way about him but she still felt a tug from her heart.

"Haruko have you heard the news?" It was Matsui standing in front of Haruko's desk. Haruko was startled by them. She almost jumped from her seat.

"Eh?" Haruko asked puzzled.

"Are you daydreaming?" Matsui asked as she waved her hand in from of her face. "Well, never mind, I said that if you heard the news already?" Matsui asked her again.

"What news?" Haruko was still puzzled. "I'm sorry I have been thinking of something serious for a while so I haven't been talking to anyone."

"Oi..." Matsui put her hand on her head and has this blank stare of disbelief. "Ru-ka-wa is back."

"NANI!" Haruko jumped out of her seat this time. At this time, Fujii entered silently into the room.

"Hn." Fujii answered. "He has been assigned to class 1-6." She said softly. "I just passed their classroom on way here."

"So it was him…" Haruko said.

"What did you say?" Matsui asked.

"Iie, I said nothing." She waved her hand from side to side as of to repel something. She was blushing by this time. Really red and her hands were sweating too. Right now she didn't want to see him. She was just confused. Matsui looked a bit surprised.

"Are you not going to check his classroom?" Matsui was really wondering at the different attitude of her friend. She was not jumping for joy or even going heart-shaped eyes.

"Do I need to?" Haruko just looked at Matsui as if it was nothing. "I'm just thinking the team will have a chance to win with him back." She acted it very well. But her explanation was just too suspicious. _It doesn't seem right. _Matsui thought to herself. She rubbed her chin but had to dismiss it for the mean time. _There is a time and place for everything. I'll find out eventually._

"What rotten luck!" The fat member of the gundan said. "You're stuck with Rukawa as a classmate. I can't imagine how bad is it." His face faltered at the idea of Rukawa.

Youhei and the rest of Sakuragi's gundan were on top of the rooftop together during lunch period.

"Well the ice prince wasn't talking much as usual." Youhei replied. "But he did seem a little more attentive in class, which of course shocked our sensei a great deal." He thought. His eyebrows met slightly. _That seemed odd I think. _He rubbed his chin a bit.

"What are you thinking?" Ookusu asked this time.

"Nothing really…" He then paused and remembered something. "Well except for one thing." He rubbed his chin even more.

"What?" All three asked in unison with some questioning looks on their faces.

"I just remembered something." He began to think a little. "Do you know what Sakuragi's class was assigned?" He already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear if they knew.

"No. We all assumed he was assigned to a different class this winter like the rest of us."

"Neither did I. And since he was still in the hospital there was no way I was finding out anytime soon. So I sneaked into the registrar's office for the official list of the student's classroom assignments." Youhei paused for a brief moment to catch his breath.

"And…" They were all curious as what Youhei was driving at and by the way Youhei was talking.

"Well, there was a mix up and was forced to assign him into the same class as mine." Youhei said frankly.

"That's great! But you don't seem happy about it." One said.

"That's because it's not." Ookusu said. "Don't you guys remember who their CLASSMATE is?" He tried stressing that fact. The other two then realized.

"Rukawa…"

"Right…" Yohei smirked. "Oh boy… This will be interesting."

The last bell finally rang to end classes for the day. _Finally! _The raven haired boy in class 1-6 thought. The whole day he thought he had to dodge every oncoming person he saw. They hounded him and he hated all the attention. _Won't they just leave me alone._ He thought. Then again at times he thought of just letting it be. In some twisted way, he enjoyed how the school was because he had really missed it.

So he picked up his bags and got ready to head to the gym. He still put on this very blank almost brooding expression on his face. His hair just slid down his face partially hiding it from everyone. He hurried a bit because he was truly excited. _I'm back! _ He almost had a small smile on his face but he stopped himself before anyone could see. By this time he almost had a big crowd following from behind. He sighed a bit when he noticed. So he tried running off so no one could follow him.

He arrived at the gym and peeked in. No one was there yet so he quickly ran off to change into his basketball clothes. He smirked a bit (A/N: This is so not like Rukawa! But I couldn't help myself). He looked around and decided to practice some shooting since he was a bit early.

Meanwhile, the other basketball members were already on their way to the gym.

"I can't wait!" Miyagi was smiling so much. He was walking rather fast and was so excited in getting to the gym. He paused and called out to his back. "Ne, ne, Aya-chan, hurry up!" The curly haired boy was almost jumping and screaming to get Ayako's attention.

"Whoa! You're in such a big hurry." Ayako put her hands around her waist in exhaustion. She was trying to keep up with Miyagi's pace but failing miserably. "You're going to give me a heart attack…" She puffed again. She thought he had too much energy to keep up with all the time.

"Ee… but it's the first day of basketball practice." He said so happily. "I'm the captain and I have to make a good impression to the team and to new recruits." He grinned at Ayako definitely trying to impress her.

_This guy will never change._ She thought in defeat. She just thought it was rather cute. _But I'll die first before I admit that._ She shaked her head a bit. "You're not doing a good job trying to impress me." She said frankly but with an evil grin on her face. She knew she'd get some reaction from the boy she was talking too."

"Wh-what... Ah-ah-I wasn't trying to impress you." Miyagi almost jumped out of his shoes because of shock. His eyes widened and he was almost ready to run away. "Wh-what m-makes y-you s-s-say that!" He exclaimed as he continued to stammer.

"It's so obvious Miyagi… just give it up." A low hard voice said from the back of Miyagi.

"What was that you…" He turned around to see who it was. "Mitsui… teme…" he said a bit angrily. "Hey how long have you been listening?"

"He he… well long enough." Mitsui smirked and taunted Miyagi some more.

"When I get my hands on you… I will…" Miyagi said as he started to chase Mitsui when he was cut off suddenly.

"Guys wait up!" A girl was screaming trying to catch up with them.

"Ara, Haruko, it's you…" Ayako said a little puzzled. Haruko was also rather early to arrive. She was going to greet Haruko when she noticed that there was someone already in the gym. _Hmm… I think I know who that is._ She thought and smirked inwardly. "Do you guys hear that?" She asked them.

"Ah… someone is already in the gym." Miyagi said. "I was hoping to be the first to arrive. I wonder who it is." He thought about it. He even put his hand on his chin and rubbed it. All of a sudden a fan flew directly at the back of Miyagi's head. "Itai!" It was Ayako's DEADLY paper fan. Mitsui just chuckled at the site.

"Don't you know who it is?" She looked at him with curiosity and a bit of disbelief. "Haven't you heard the news?" She had her arms crossed across her chest still holding the paper fan. She had one of her eyebrows raised too.

"What news? I don't usually listen to rumors in school." Miyagi shrugged his shoulders as if to say I don't know.

"I don't know the news either. What is it?" Mitsui popped his question as he was also curious what Ayako was talking about. Haruko just kept quiet at the background. She already knew who she was talking about. She was just afraid a bit to see him again. She wasn't really sure if it was okay.

Ayako sighed. "You two belong together." She raised her hands in defeat. "I guess there is only one way for you guys to know. Come follow me." She led the two of them to the door of the gym and opened it. As she opened the door, they saw a silhouette of someone doing a fade-away shot.

"Kirei…" Haruko said as she closed her fists in front of her face.

"RUKAWA!" Both Miyagi and Mitsui shouted in unison

A/N: What the heck is it with my story ending with people saying Rukawa… hehe. And I don't even really like the guy. Weird! Though I like using him because his character has so much potential.


	7. BASKETBALL PRACTICE

**CHAPTER 7: BASKETBALL PRACTICE**

The team barely had practice that day. The sudden return of Rukawa had them asking him so many questions. The funny thing was is that he was actually answering them. They kept asking him about his time in the All Japan Team and how he has improved. Then one of them asked him, "Why exactly did you come back?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Rukawa. They were all curious. They had their eyes all focused on him. Rukawa just rubbed his head and stood up. He picked up a ball and slowly dribbled away from them. He then paused a bit and said, "I really don't know…" Then he jumped and made a shot at the ring. It was so silent that you could even hear the swish of the ball as in glided smoothly into the ring.

"Same old Rukawa, just with more answers." Mitsui said. The team nodded in agreement. "I guess we shouldn't bother him too much, right now."

"Boy, if only Sakuragi was here we would be complete." Miyagi slightly grinned. "How the heck is he, Haruko?" He turned to look at her waiting for a reply. But before she could say anything, somebody answered.

He's still in the hospital…" Rukawa trailed his answer as he made another basket. Everyone looked at him again. Ayako was even more curious than usual. And with all that silence you could hear all of them breathe. _Curious._Ayako thought. She then pulled her paper fan and flapped it. _This is getting interesting._

"Ittai! What did I do?" Miyagi said in agony as he rubbed his sore head. "I didn't do anything…" He was partially in tears.

"Oops… Sorry… I didn't mean to…" Ayako said trying to calm the curly haired boy. She led him a bit away from the group. She wanted to talk to him privately. "So…" She said to him a bit silently, "notice something strange?"

"Strange? What's strange?" Miyagi had a puzzled look on his face.

"Oiyah!" Ayako said as she hit her forehead with her palm. She couldn't believe how dense Miyagi was sometimes. _It makes me wonder what I see in him._ "I'm talking about Rukawa, baka!" She said to him a bit annoyed.

"Rukawa?" He wondered. He paused a bit before he spoke again. "Well he's a bit more talkative but still a mystery." He scratched his head.

"Nothing else?" Ayako pushed on.

"Noting else really…" Miyagi said more puzzled than before.

"I'm talking about how he even knew about SAKURAGI." She intentionally stressed Sakuragi's name so that the curly-haired boy and at the moment dim-witted, she thought, would understand what she was driving at.

"Hmm, come to think of it…" He paused and stroke his chin. He looked at Rukawa intently, who at the time was still throwing some hoops. "That was rather odd."

"Finally!" She shouted. Some of the guys looked at her and wondered. But quickly turned around as they didn't really want to bother to ask Ayako, what that was and was not in any mood to get hit by her fan if she was in a bad mood. "Since when did the Ice Prince even care to think about that red-head? I would think that he could care less whether or not Sakuragi was sick or well. Heck, I would think he would be the last to know if he was dying." She looked around and saw Haruko. "There's another thing that's weird." She said as she pointed at Haruko. "I would have thought she would be ecstatic at seeing him. She's not even fawning over him."

And indeed, Haruko was acting differently. Normally she would have those love struck eyes praising every move Rukawa made. This time she was very serious. He would occasionally look at Rukawa but not a single hint of infatuation or admiration. She would just stare at the floor or at the benches. It was like she was in a daze that no one could snap her out of it. Well not until the doors slid open and someone stepped in. Two figures stepped in, one rather large man and a smaller bespectacled guy next to him.

"Konnicha wa minna!" They greeted. It was Akagi and Kogure.

Everyone stopped to look at them. "Konnichi wa!" Most of the team answered back. Even Haruko snapped out of her daze to greet her older brother and Kogure. They were pretty glad to see the two. At the end of last semester they decided to retire from the basketball team so they could focus more on their studies for entrance into university. But basketball is in their blood that they couldn't help but pass by to see how the team was doing on their fist day.

The smaller bespectacled guy came up closer to the team. Kogure was as small and lean as he has always been but there is a definite change in his facial features. His face had matured a bit though he still retained his tender and sweet look. As for the other, he was as big as ever, if not bigger. He had a hulking body type that could scare anyone and the feature similar to that of an ape. That's how he got the nickname of Gori, given to him by Sakuragi.

"So how is the team doing?" Kogure was interested to hear how well they are doing on their first day. But before he could say another word, Miyagi jumped in front of him.

"We are doing great? Miyagi beamed at him and was particularly excited. "We aren't doing much practicing right now, more like organizing ourselves…"

"Whoa! Slow down, you are going to have a heart attack if you keep that up." Kogure butted in and patted the smaller guy on the back. "but that is really nice to hear."

"Well since you 2 guys left and Sakuragi is still in the hospital, we had to rearrange the positions of the players." He said slower this time and with a sound of confidence. "I want this team to be in tip top shape even if you guys aren't around. Good thing Rukawa is back."

"Rukawa's here?" Kogure obviously surprised. Akagi also heard that and was mildly surprised. "Where is he?" Kogure asked.

"Over there still practicing… as usual…" Miyagi pointed him out on the court.

"Hasn't changed has he?" Kogure smiled at the fact that Rukawa was as dependable as ever. It kind of gave him a nostalgic feeling of when he was still in the team. _But my studies come first._ He thought, though it just gave him a warm feeling inside just by reconnecting with the basketball team.

"He's kind of different if you ask me." Ayako interjected. Kogure was cut off in his train of thought which made him slip his glasses.

"How so?" He asked as he fixed his glasses.

"I don't see anything different." Akagi finally said.

"Well at surface he seems like his old self, but he talks now." Ayako paused. She then looked at Rukawa. "He actually is sharing stuff about himself, believe it or not." She paused again and looked back at Akagi. She smirked. "Up until you guys came he was answering everything we were asking… Personally I think it's rather interesting… but also rather strange." She paused again made a strange look as if she was thinking.

The team just continued their practice though they had little time left. Miyagi was very serious and let them do some standard practices while he and Ayako discussed some plans for practices and individual trainings. Miyagi seemed very eager to impress Akagi. When he & Ayako have thought of new ideas he would then run off to Akagi for advice to find out what he thinks and if Akagi likes it he would run back to Ayako with such a big grin that after awhile Ayako got sick and tired of seeing. She would just roll her eyes and then tell him, "Oh just quit it!" Akagi and Kogure just chatted with Ayako from time to time or whoever was resting at the time. Haruko still had this blank dazed look in her although she was desperately trying to hide it as her brother was just standing near her. And all this time Ayako just watched her silently.

Rukawa then stopped in the middle of practice. He ran towards Miyagi and with a puff he said that he had to go. Miyagi was surprised that the ice prince would even approach him to ask for permission. "I really need to go, Captain." Rukawa stammered. "I need to meet someone." Miyagi just nodded. He had this shocked look in his face that Ayako had to snap her fingers in front of him. Rukawa then ran off to the locker room to change.

"Did he just call me Captain? And did he actually ask for my permission?" Miyagi still seem surprised.

"Yes he did." Ayako said in a monotonous voice. "You seem surprised!" She said in a rather sarcastic tone. "I mean with all the differences he has showed I would rather expect that already. Time at the All Japan Team must've taught him something." She just thought but she wasn't sure. _There has got to be more to the story than just that._ She thought. But there's nothing I can do for now. She then just shrugged.

After 5 minutes Rukawa ran out of the lockers. He was dressed up already although his hair was still visibly wet and some parts of his face. He then ran up to Miyagi. "Goodbye Captain, Ayako-san." He nodded and then moved a bit towards the 2 seniors. "Akagi-sempai, Kogure-sempai, nice to meet you again." He then nodded at them too and moved towards the door of the gym where Haruko was. He made a quick stop. He did not look at Haruko. He just nodded and said, "Akagi-san." He then rushed out of the gym and ran towards the gate of the school.

Haruko was shocked. This was the first time Rukawa even acknowledged her existence. She then looked up but Rukawa was already gone. She turned around and could only see his shadow as it disappeared from her view. She then touched her chest. _What is wrong?_

"Was it just me or was I just…" Miyagi said as he looked at Ayako, Akagi and Kogure."

"No, you weren't." Ayako said in a stern voice. "And take that look of your face you look silly!" As she whacked Miyagi slightly in the forehead.

"I guess he has changed, hasn't he!" Kogure suddenly said. He then adjusted his glasses. He smirked a bit and thought to himself. _So much has happened in just a few months. I can hardly believe it. _ Kogure went into deep thought. _I miss this team!_ He then adjusted his glasses some more and sighed. All Akagi did was grunt as if nothing was different.

"That was rather strange. Almost creepy, even" said the scar-faced boy in the background. Apparently the whole team saw it and stopped doing what they were doing just to stare. Mitsui dropped the ball he was carrying and placed both hands on his hips. "This day is getting stranger and stranger… What's next Sakuragi suddenly appearing?"

"Now wouldn't that be the icing on the cake…" Miyagi exclaimed then he suddenly paused. "What the heck are you guys doing!" He shouted at them. "We still have 10 min of practice left… Move it, move it!"

Akagi looked at Kogure and the bespectacled boy nodded at him. "We are going ahead Miyagi. We still have to study." He raised his had at Miyagi. Kogure also waived.

"I understand. Thanks for stopping by sempai. Please come back anytime you wish." He bowed down a bit and then waived goodbye.

Kogure and Akagi left the building. They also said their goodbyes to Haruko before they left but she was a bit despondent. "You're sister is acting weird a bit."

"It's just Rukawa that is causing that." They continued walking out of the school into the street. "She will snap out of it later. She always does." He said confidently.

"If you say so, then I won't worry too much then." They continued walking along the street. It was a bit quiet as it was already dark and no one really hangs out near the school district at this time. Kogure then couldn't help himself and had to say something to Akagi. "You know what, I'm excited about the team!"

"Me too." Akagi said. He stopped and then looked up at the sky. He smiled. "They may just fulfill our dreams." He paused again. "To be the number one team in Japan!"


End file.
